At first glance, San Rufo’s is an attractive-looking restaurant, which makes it such a pity that the first glance can be quite a tough one to achieve. Its location is pretty straightforward along Skegness ’ Roman Bank, but as I drove by I must admit I missed it; the building tucked away behind a parked Transit van and an extremely long queue for the next door chip shop. I suppose it didn’t help that this was a Friday evening, and during the school holidays - a combination that will always ensure bodies everywhere on the east coast.
But once parked up, and the throngs successfully navigated, it quickly became apparent that this was a good find. Wooden planters sporting some rich greenery and a continental-looking awning added some Italian authenticity before you even step inside, where you are greeted by a by a restaurant that offers you gorgeous simplicity. This dining area (which tricked me into believing it was L-shaped until a family were seated in front of a strategic mirror) is very uniform, but the nicely presented tables, eyecatching wood-finished bar and framed Italian street scenes which hang from the rustic-beige walls offer just the right levels of action to make you feel there’s a certain class to the place.
There’s also a nice, petite, al fresco courtyard, but it wasn’t warm enough for that on this occasion. It wasn’t long until the drinks were delivered and the usual chaos ensued. I was dining with my wife, who enjoys beer by the pints, while my dr.